Colleges urged to boost medical student admissions to address national shortage
DAR ES SALAAM: HEALTH colleges across the country have been urged to expand admissions for medical students to help bridge the significant shortage of health professionals in various regions.
The call was made yesterday in Dar es Salaam by the Chairperson of the Kairuki University Governing Council, Dr Donald Mmari, during the institution’s graduation ceremony held at its Boko campus.
A total of 426 graduates were conferred certificates, diplomas, degrees and master’s degrees, including 270 medical doctors.
Dr Mmari said that since its establishment in 1997, Kairuki University has played a key role in producing health professionals in diverse fields, including specialist doctors in gynecology, pediatrics, and surgery. However, he emphasized that the country still faces a major human resource gap in the health sector.
“The number of doctors per 100,000 citizens remains below World Health Organization (WHO) standards. I urge colleges like Kairuki and others that train health professionals to increase enrollment to produce more graduates to fill the existing gaps. Even the Ministry of Health statistics show we still don’t have enough personnel,” he said.
The Chairperson of the Kairuki Health Education Network (KHEN), Kokushubira Kairuki, expressed gratitude to the government for its continued support and guidance since the university’s establishment.
She noted that Kairuki University continues to grow steadily, producing 4,110 graduates since 1997 — a number that has now risen to 4,144 after yesterday’s graduation. Of these, 2,000 are medical doctors, 424 nurses, and 135 specialist doctors.
“We see these graduates as a great contribution to our country,” she said, adding that the institution remains committed to offering high-quality medical education that meets both national and international standards despite ongoing challenges.
She encouraged the new graduates to uphold professionalism and serve as examples for future generations.
The university’s Vice Chancellor, Prof Yohana Mashalla, highlighted that of the 426 graduates, 275 were women, while 151 were men, humorously challenging the male graduates to reflect on why they were outnumbered.
Prof Mashalla also underscored the increasing role of technology in teaching and healthcare delivery. He explained that Kairuki University now conducts most of its operations through information and communication technology (ICT), allowing lecturers to engage with students from anywhere.
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“The biggest secret to success today is access to reliable internet. At Kairuki, we currently have a capacity of 400 megabytes and a global network that enables any recognized university member worldwide to access the information they need,” he said.
He added that technological advancements have transformed medical practice, noting that Kairuki Hospital has phased out the use of physical files and adopted digital systems. He also pointed out that modern surgical procedures now allow doctors to perform operations using robotic systems instead of relying solely on manual techniques.
